‘We are in absolute shock’: Family of Vaughan condo gunman says he was ‘controlling and abusive’ husband, father

In a written statement given exclusively to the Star, the three daughters of Francesco Villi say they are stunned and are grieving for the families of victims.

Thestar.com
Dec. 21, 2022
Wendy Gillis

The gunman who killed five people inside a Vaughan highrise after a years-long dispute with the building’s condo board was a “controlling and abusive” husband and father who was estranged from his children, his family told the Star on Tuesday.

In a written statement, the three daughters of Francesco Villi -- the 73-year-old man gunned down Sunday by police after he went on a deadly shooting rampage in his building -- say they are stunned and are grieving for the families of victims.

“Words cannot begin to express how deeply heartbroken we are for the families affected by this horrific tragedy. We offer our heartfelt condolences,” the daughters wrote.

Francesco Villi, seen here in a still from video posted to his personal Facebook page.

“We are in absolute shock and utter devastation at the events that have transpired.”

The Star is not naming Villi’s family members due to safety concerns about being associated with a mass shooter.

The family’s statement came as York Regional Police on Tuesday identified the victims of the shooting as three members of the condo board and two of their family members: board members Naveed Dada, 59, and Rita Camilleri, 57; Camilleri’s partner, Vittorio Panza, 79; previous condo board member Russell Manock, 75, and his wife Helen, 71. A sixth victim, who was seriously injured but expected to survive, has been identified as Doreen Di Nino, 66, the wife of board member John Di Nino.

Villi had been embroiled in a prolonged battle with the condo board at the Bellaria Residences complex on Jane Street near Rutherford Road in Maple. The dispute stemmed from Villi’s claims about his condo unit, which was located above the building’s electrical room, a space he alleged was improperly constructed, resulting in “electromagnetic waves” causing him years of pain and suffering.

A gunman killed five in a mass shooting inside a Vaughan highrise before being himself shot dead by police late Sunday.
He had previously filed a lawsuit accusing past and present board members of perjury, extortion, fraud and more -- a case dismissed by a judge as “vexatious” and “frivolous.” The shooting happened on the eve of a Monday court date where the condo corporation was seeking to evict Villi from his unit.

According to his daughters, Villi had been a “controlling and abusive husband and father.” There had been a history of domestic abuse with both his children and their mothers, they said.

“He had aggressive behaviour and a Jekyll-and-Hyde type personality,” the statement said.

His daughters said for years they tried to have a relationship and the “many offers of help were continuously denied.” It left them “no choice but to cut off ties with him for their own health and well-being,” the statement said.

According to his daughters, they had been estranged from their father for more than five years.

“We are grieving for the families, and they are in our hearts,” the daughters said, ending their statement with a request for privacy.

York Regional Police have said they were called to the highrise around 7:20 p.m. Sunday, shortly after Villi started going door to door, shooting through three units while wielding a semi-automatic handgun.

He was shot and killed by an officer on the third floor, and pronounced dead around 8 p.m.

“We realize a crime of this magnitude is traumatizing for friends and family who, at this time of year especially, now must deal with the tragic death of their loved ones,” York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said Monday.